VT180

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DEC VT180
DEC VT180.jpg
Manufacturer DEC
TypePersonal Computer
Release date1982 (1982)
Discontinued1983
Operating system CP/M
CPU Z80 @ 2 MHz
Memory64 KB RAM
Removable storage 5.25-inch floppy disks
Display12 in (30 cm) CRT
80x24 characters
Successor Rainbow 100

The VT180 is a personal computer produced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) of Maynard, Massachusetts, USA. [1] [2]

Introduced in early 1982, the CP/M-based VT180 was DEC's entry-level microcomputer. "VT180" is the unofficial name for the combination of the VT100 computer terminal and VT18X option. [2] The VT18X includes a 2 MHz Zilog Z80 microprocessor and 64K RAM on two circuit boards that fit inside the terminal, and two external 5.25-inch floppy disk drives with room for two more in an external enclosure. [3] The VT180 was codenamed "Robin".

Digital later released a full-fledged personal computer known as the Rainbow 100 as the successor to Robin. [4]

When Digital ended the VT100 terminal family in 1983, [5] [6] it also discontinued the VT180. No direct replacement was offered, although the Rainbow 100 eventually provided a superset of Robin's functionality.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. DEC Educational Services (February 1983). VT180 Series Technical Manual. Digital Equipment Corporation.
  2. 1 2 "DigiBarn Systems: DEC Robin (VT-180) & documentation". www.digibarn.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  3. Snyder, John J. Ph.D. (June 1983). "A DEC on Every Desk?". BYTE. p. 104–106. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  4. "DigiBarn Systems: DEC Rainbow 100". www.digibarn.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  5. Richard Shuford (1995–2005). "DEC Video Terminals". Archived from the original on 2009-06-05.
  6. "VT220 Programmer Reference Manual". Digital Equipment Corporation. August 1984.